Football down indicator



June 9, 1942. y R, E; Rm; 2,285,613

' FooTBALLDowN INDICATOR v Filed June 7, 1,941 2 sheets-sheet 1 www-f June 9, 1942. R. E. RICE FOOTBALL DOWN INDICATOR 2 Sheets-Sheetl 2 Filed June 7, y1941 25 me/ww EDa/p E. 'ff/foe,

@mfc/magi Patentedjune 9,1942 K l l UNITED STATES reTeNT OFFICE.

2,285,613 FOOTBALL DOWN INDICATOR Ralph E. Rice, Stewartville, Minn. Application June '7, 1941, Serial No. 397,118 z claims. .,(ci. 1t-133) This invention relates to a football down inditiating color from the walls of the box or case so cator, and has for the primary object the provithat the characters or numbers can be convension of a portable device of the above stated chariently read for a maximum distance by spectators acter which may be con eniently handled to of the'football game. facilitate the quick and easy manual arrange- 55 The side walls of the box or casing are preferment thereof from one place or position of play ably removably secured to the bottom wall 1 and to another on a football field and includes charthe top wall or cover 8 by fasteners I2. Also it acters or numbers, representing the downsin a is preferable that the vertical edges of Athe side football game, any one of which may be posi- 4 walls be mitered, as shown in Figure 4, so that tioned opposite to the spectators to indicate the when assembled neat appearing joints will be particular down and may be easily read from a presented thereto. maximum distance either in day or night time by By referring to Figure 2 it will bevseen that the the spectators. top wall or cover 8 isof a flanged type so as to Another object of this invention is the provision fit within the side walls and overlie the upper of an electric illuminating means for the device, lb edges thereof. Sight openings I3 are provided the source of electric energy being carried thereby in the top wall or cover 8 and are arranged 1n or if desired the illuminating means may be elecgroups of numbers corresponding to the numbers trically connected to an electric system. utilized of the side walls so that the operator employing in the illumination of the playing eld. the device can readily determine the number of With these and other objects in view as will a particular side of thebox or casing without the become more apparent as the description protilting thereof from a vertical position which ceeds, the invention consists in certain novel fea- 1 greatly assists the operator in presenting to view tures of construction, combination and arrangethe proper number designating the down in the ment of parts as will be hereinafter more fully football game to the spectators. described and claimed. 26 The top wall or cover 8 is provided with a cen- For a complete understanding of my invention, trally arranged opening communicating with a reference is to be had to the following descriprecess I4 opening outwardly through the inner tion and accompanying drawings, in which face of said top wall or cover for thereception of Figure l is a side elevation illustrating a footan anchoring plate I5 on which is formed a screw ball down indicator constructed in accordance 30 threaded ferrule I6 located within said opening. with my invention. The anchoring or base plate I5 is secured within Figure 2 is a vertical sectional View illustrating the recess I4 by fasteners I1 and is provided with the device, and the electric illuminating means an electric lamp socket I8 arranged within the therefor. ferrule I8 and removably supports an electric Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 35 lamp I9 within the box or casing. 3--3 of Figure 1. Also carried by the base plate I5 is a reector Figure 4 is a sectional View taken on the line 2l! for the electric lamp. The electric lamp may of Figure 1. be of any selected color and when illuminated will Figure 5 is a bottom plan view illustrating the efficiently illuminate the characters or numbers device. 40 of the side walls in order that they may be readily Referring in detail to the drawings, the nuread by the spectators from a maximum distance meral 5 indicates as an entirety a substantially at night time. Also the sight openings I3 will be rectangular shaped casing or box which includes illuminated by the electric lamp in order that they side walls 6, a bottom wall 'I and a top wall or may be observed easily by the operator of the decover 8. Thebex or casing being of the shape vice at night time.

specified presents four sides thereto and said A handle 2I preferably in the form of a flashsides have stenciled or otherwise formed therein light construction is threaded in the ferrule I6 numbers ranging from 1 to 4 to indicate the and contains the usual dry cells or batteries 22 downs in a football game. The numbers are for furnishing electric energy to the electric backed by plates 9 of translucent material held in 50 lamp I8. However, the handle 2I may have the place within the box or casing by metallic strips batteries omitted and the electric lamp suitably I8 removably secured to the inner faces of the connected to an electric extension cord so that walls by fasteners I I. 'Said fasteners are preferthe device may be plugged into an ordinary outably in the form of bolts provided with wing nuts. let of an electric system used in the illumination The backing plates are preferably of a differenof the playing field. It being understood that having a base flange 24 secured to said bottom wall by fasteners 25. 23 receives an impaling pin or leg 26 pointed. as shown at 21, to

The box or casing may be constructed of any material suitable for the purpose, such as wood,

While I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that minor changes in construction,

combination and arrangement of parts may K made Without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention claimed.

Having thus described my invention, what I electric energy for the electric lamp.

RALPH E. RICE. 

